Declines in state aid to Kansas libraries has forced budgeting changes

Jonathan Shorman

Tuesday

Apr 14, 2015 at 3:23 PM

State aid to Kansas libraries dropped 23 percent in the past fiscal year, according to a new report — part of a years-long decline that has caused the Topeka and Shawnee County Library to change the way it budgets.

The Kansas Center for Economic Growth said Tuesday state funds to libraries fell approximately 23 percent between fiscal year 2013 and fiscal year 2014 when dollar amounts were adjusted for inflation.

The decline is more pronounced when additional years are taken into account. Funding fell an inflation-adjusted 60 percent between fiscal years 2008 and 2014, according to the group’s analysis.

The report takes into account grants to libraries, interlibrary loan development funds and money for Talking Books, a program that helps makes books accessible to those with disabilities.

State funds to libraries represent a small percentage of the overall budget, however. Library aid from general revenue totaled about $1.9 million in 2013 in inflation-adjusted dollars and fell to $1.47 million in 2014, the report says. Overall state expenditures total in the billions.

State aid also accounts for a small portion of overall funding for the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. Sheryl Weller, the library’s chief financial officer, said the state aid the library has received so far in 2015 — $29,576 — amounts to about 0.16 percent of its operating budget.

That amount is half of what the library is slated to receive this year if the funds are available. The second installment will be made in June.

The downward trend in state aid has caused the library, also referred to as TSCPL, to change its budget process. Weller said in an email the library used to allocate state aid for books and materials customers check out. As the funding has diminished and its timing has become unpredictable, however, that has changed.

"TSCPL has constructed its budget to prevent or lessen direct impact to library services and customers due to the reduction in state aid. Instead of planning on these funds for operational needs, they are instead budgeted for one-time projects, such as technology purchases or professional services as part of a larger project," Weller said.

While a large library such as the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library can draw upon community and donor support, smaller, rural libraries are more reliant on state aid, Terri Summey, president of the Kansas Library Association said.

Summey indicated cuts to libraries may not always be seen by the public because librarians try to cut in areas that aren’t as noticeable. But as funding has declined over the past several years, it has become harder to shield core services.

"We’ve tightened our belts and we’ve cut and cut and cut. We’re getting to the point we’re cutting bones," Summey said. "There’s not a lot more we can cut and still provide the resources and services that kids need and adults need, that the community needs."

While the Center for Economic Growth’s report included library-specific funding information, the overall focus was linking the state’s tax policy to funding levels in several areas, including aid to local governments, education and corrections. The report found while corrections funding was up 10 percent in the last fiscal year, it is still below pre-recession levels.

"When the state reduces its investment, local communities are forced to make up the difference, usually in the form of property tax increases," Annie McKay, Kansas Center for Economic Growth director, said in a statement.

"That, combined with cuts to schools and safe neighborhoods, makes it very difficult to attract people and jobs to Kansas. We should stop and think if this is really the path we want to pursue."

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has consistently taken a different stand. He continues to support eliminating income taxes, arguing Kansas would be better off relying on consumption taxes to generate revenue.

Consumption taxes help to create a pro-growth atmosphere, according to Brownback. He has said that will actually allow for increased social services spending, an area he says critics tend to focus on. But he doesn’t favor a greater reliance on property taxes, though McKay contends that is what the tax policy has done.

"Not the property tax, leave that alone, but move more to a consumption set of taxes to overall fund the government. That tends to be (in) other states that are funded that way a more growth-oriented system," Brownback said at a recent news conference.

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